Crib Safety

Topic Contents

Crib Safety

Topic Overview

The crib is the one place where babies and young children are
regularly left unsupervised. To help keep your child safe, use recommended
equipment properly and update features of the crib as your child grows.

Crib safety standards

The strict guidelines for
crib construction help prevent many accidents. If a crib does not meet current
safety standards, your baby may be injured.

Less than
2 3/8 inches (60 mm) of space
between slats. This prevents a child's head from becoming trapped.

No cutout designs or spaces if there is an otherwise solid
headboard or footboard. A child's head, hands, arms, or legs can get
stuck.

No corner posts. Clothing can attach to these posts and
injure or strangle a child.

Tight and secure screws, bolts, and
other construction materials. Check these parts every week. A physically active
child can loosen these structures, and the crib can collapse.

Lead-free paint. Older
cribs may have paint that is lead-based. Babies can get
lead poisoning from chewing and gnawing on a crib with
lead-based paint.

Don't use an old crib. And if a crib has missing or broken parts, don't use the crib and don't try to fix it yourself. Get a crib that does not need any repairs.
For more information on crib safety, call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at 1-800-638-2772.

Crib hazards

Crib-related injuries also are caused
by unsafe or improperly used accessories. Injuries can also occur as your child grows bigger. Be aware of the common crib hazards.
Make sure you:1

Use only mattresses designed for the crib.
You should not be able to fit more than two fingers in the space between the
mattress and crib. Also, remove any plastic covering from the mattress.

Help prevent your child from falling out of the crib, the leading
cause of crib accidents, by adjusting the mattress level as he or she grows.
Start lowering the mattress no later than when your child begins to sit with
little help. Adjust the mattress to its lowest setting by the time your
baby can stand.

Keep cribs—as well as all other furniture and large objects—away
from windows to prevent serious falls.

Do not place the crib near drapes or blinds. Window cords can get wrapped around a child's neck. When your child is 35 in. (89 cm) tall, he or she has outgrown the crib and should sleep in a bed.

Remove mobiles
and activity gyms from the crib by the time your child can push up on his or her hands and knees or is 5 months of age, whichever comes first. These
are strangulation hazards for children who can get on their hands and knees.

Don't use bumper pads or other products that attach to crib slats or sides. They could suffocate or trap your baby.

Keep soft items and loose bedding out of the crib. Items such as blankets, stuffed animals, toys, and pillows could suffocate or trap your baby. Dress your baby in sleepers instead of using blankets.

Movable side rails are a safety hazard, and new cribs are no longer made with them. If your crib has the kind of side rail that can be raised and lowered, always raise it and
secure it properly when your child is in the crib.

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